In sports (and music), having a professional nationwide tour has two primary purposes:.
1) host events semi-local to attract spectators who will spend money.
2) host events to attract sponsors who will donate money in anticipation of increasing business from the spectators.

Without spectators, money levels will have a hard time reaching a point where the tour purses can sustain professionals on tour.

One of the things I have predicted for years is that if there ever was a big-dollar sponsor for the PDGA tour, the local clubs would be forced out of the big PDGA events. Why would you tie up a lot of money in an event and leave it in the hands of a dysfunctional group of Frisbee freaks? Re-read threads about Pro World's this year if you wonder what I'm talking about. The people who have built this sport and carried the PDGA tour on their backs will be out, replaced by a for-profit entity.

Whether that is a good or bad thing depends on your point of view.

FWIW I'd much rather see someone with a big name reputation at stake running an event. You know it will be done up correctly when their name is on the line. Additionally, there would be money involved in course maintenance, which we lack right now...so I'm not sure how this is a bad thing? Other than a few people will get mad at their personal loss of control over a course.

Yea, off the top of my head I can't think of a single reason that I'd want to see the Tour grow.

Ok, got one. If only to allow Tour players to at least make a livable wage playing this game. Not rich like the other spoiled brats from other sports. Just enough to be able to afford a hotel room, and not have to crash on someone's couch while traveling.

But why do they inherently deserve money for being good at something? Do world champion pistachio shell spitters deserve to make a living wage for something nobody cares enough about to watch? Even disc golfers won't pay to watch disc golf, and the only way for there to be money in the sport is to have a paying audience.

They're not that stupid. The day they make that rule, they lose the majority of their income from sanctioning fees. They can try to encourage that, but any kind of requirement just pushes all those sanctioned events to be unsanctioned in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiscJunkie

In the meantime, some thoughts:
The PDGA was founded by Pros, for Pros; and is largely run by Pros for Pros.
Fact is, the Pros are a very small proportion of the DG world.
The PDGA is largely unconcerned with growing the sport on a recreational level. Just look at their expenditures to see where their focus is at.

I'm not sure I agree with that, and most pros wouldn't either. The biggest problem the PDGA has is trying to cater to every possible demographic in the sport. Most of the money they spend on the top guys comes out of the extra money pros pay in for their memberships according to their released budgets.

They're not that stupid. The day they make that rule, they lose the majority of their income from sanctioning fees. They can try to encourage that, but any kind of requirement just pushes all those sanctioned events to be unsanctioned in the future.

I agree, such a change would be seriously detrimental to the PDGA, and I'm pretty sure they understand that. The amount of money the PDGA collects from either tourney 'format' is unchanged, and (provided that one doesn't have significantly different entry fees than the other) the volume of disc golf merchandise going out per event is unchanged as well (it either is mostly in the form of merchandise players' packs or merchandise payouts). Restricting these kinds of options serves no purpose other than to limit the kinds of events that can be sanctioned (and potential TD's for events).

That is their choice. They have a decision to make, and if they decide they want the life they have to accept the downside. It's not our responsibility to make their life easier, and focusing on attempting to make their life easier has caused us to miss opportunities to promote the sport IMO.

This is true. Just like in real life we make decisions on how we are going to make a living and we know the salary involved. When you gamble on something that is not lucrative and you know this upfront you have no leg to stand on when it comes to complaining about how much money you make.

I am not perfect and have made some terrible decisions in my life on a professional level and have learned from this. I dont sit here and expect my employer to pay me above and beyond what the company has outlined in my salary and whine about it when it doesnt happen. It is up to me to make those things happen whether that means moving on and finding new employment that I will be able to make that amount or I find a way to make myself more lucrative for the company.

If someone opens a store selling widgets in a widget saturated market you do not blame your customers for not spending enough in your store. You except the fact that you took a gamble on something that has no chance of financial freedom and you either learn and evolve from this or you end up shutting your doors.

I am not saying that being a pro Disc Golfer is a bad thing but when you know exactly what you are going to get out of it when you sign up and still complain about not making more $ than shame on you.

This is real life and it is up to you and only you to make it or break it.

Stuff like this is the exact reason I got rid of Facebook almost 2 years ago.

Too many people ranting about their displeasure with things they have no intention or desire to actually influence. This guy is mad about how some of the guys he plays with regularly behave. Maybe he should mention it to them when he sees it happening rather than writing an anonymous letter on Facebook.

Chances are the people he is intending to reach with this message will either blow it off and laugh or not even know that he's trying to point the finger at himself.

Maybe it's just me but $10K + $7-10K of Plastic isn't that cushy of a thang.

It might not be just about Prodigy but I find it hard to believe that those guys aren't near the core of his point. I'm sure the "California" "hall of famers and legendary people" that "you kids have never even heard of" sure it a point at that clique.

I refuse to have a Facebook account. My wife tells me what is going on there with my family and friends. Only reason I've ever considered doing it, is because on my local DG clubs Facebook site I could keep up with local events and post lost Discs. But I don't think it is worth it to expose myself to all the people I've ever met in the past and stuff.

yeah shes always all like yappity yap and a blabbity blah blew and theyre always like whoopity what when and a howdity who what and then she usually lols or omgs from what i heard but idk im not on there either.